Legislature(1997 - 1998)

03/11/1998 03:20 PM House L&C

Audio Topic
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
txt
HB 304 - MOVE LEGISLATURE TO ANCHORAGE                                         
                                                                               
Number 0062                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG announced the committee's first order of business            
was HB 304, "An Act relating to the location of the convening of               
the legislature in regular session; repealing provisions relating              
to student guests of the legislature; and providing for an                     
effective date."  Chairman Rokeberg presented HB 304, noting he and            
Representative Joseph Green were co-prime sponsors of this                     
legislation.  He said he wished to bring a few items to the                    
committee's attention and there would be limited testimony.                    
Chairman Rokeberg commented that Jeff Logan, Legislative Assistant             
to Representative Green, had a map exhibit for the committee.                  
                                                                               
Number 0158                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated HB 304 was brought forward with the                   
initial intention of relocating the legislature to Anchorage,                  
however he referred to testimony he gave before the House State                
Affairs Standing Committee, to local Juneau radio, the press, et               
cetera, whereas he believes it is very important the legislature be            
near the people and that access be available.  He said a major                 
reason he became involved in the legislation is concern he has                 
about the Capitol Building itself, stating he wanted to briefly                
focus on this that day.  He referred to a March 1998 letter he                 
wrote which was published in an Anchorage neighborhood newspaper,              
Westside Pulse, noting there were copies in the committee members'             
packets.  Chairman Rokeberg emphasized he wanted to take up the                
different alternatives needed to generate greater access for the               
people of Alaska to their Capitol.                                             
                                                                               
Number 0258                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG listed choices to be examined:  1) Remodeling the            
existing Capitol Building structure.  2) Moving to a leased                    
premises in the Anchorage area.  3) Building a 75,000 square foot              
addition to the Bank of America building [550 West Seventh Avenue              
in Anchorage, to be renamed the Robert B. Atwood Building];                    
Chairman Rokeberg noted expansion had been considered in the                   
building's initial architectural design.  He said he had stated                
before the legislature the previous year that housing the                      
legislature was not the reason for the building's purchase, and he             
reiterated the building had not been purchased to be a defacto                 
Capitol building.  4) Drafting a Request for Proposal (RFP) from               
any community in the state that wished to respond for the need for             
a new Capitol building, including Juneau.  Chairman Rokeberg said              
he calls this his "field of dreams alternative; build it and they              
will come," which he will address further.  5) Bringing back the               
Willow capital move initiative with what he calls the truthful cost            
(indisc.) analysis.  6) Rotating legislative sessions between the              
cities or having committee meetings in various communities                     
throughout the state for certain time periods during the session.              
7) What he terms, "Anybody else got an idea?"  He asked for ideas              
as to how they can enhance access for the people of Alaska to their            
legislators, making this branch of government more responsive and              
sensitive to people's needs.                                                   
                                                                               
Number 0387                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG referred to State of Alaska Invitation to Bid                
Number 5401, for 7,100 square feet in downtown Anchorage for an                
adult public assistance office.  He pointed out "A" under                      
"paragraph" 3 on page 13 of the bid, the second page of the copy               
distributed to the committee.  He noted this is the current minimum            
standard regarding building type for any state lease.  It read:                
                                                                               
     3. Type of Building:                                                      
                                                                               
     A. The space offered shall be in a building of sound and                  
     substantial construction, and shall meet all applicable                   
     building codes, life safety codes, regulations and                        
     standard building practices of the City, Borough and                      
     State in which located.  The building shall be protected                  
     against fire and other hazards and shall be provided with                 
     ventilation.  The building shall also conform to                          
     applicable thermo and energy standards, and shall comply                  
     with OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration]                 
     safety codes.  The building and the area in which it is                   
     located shall be clean and free from objectionable                        
     tenancy, odors, vermin, rodents, or other conditions                      
     which, in the opinion of the State, will be detrimental                   
     to agency operation.                                                      
                                                                               
Number 0523                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated this was boilerplate language in the state            
lease document, and he submitted to the committee that the current             
Capitol Building would not qualify for a bid for state occupancy.              
He noted this was particularly relating to the life safety code                
provisions, other applicable building codes, et cetera.  Chairman              
Rokeberg stated that there is a clear need for new premises for the            
legislature.  He referred to a vote brought before the people to               
move the capital, noting he thinks that vote failed because of the             
legislature's lack of commitment, as he said before the House State            
Affairs Standing Committee.  He commented the City and Borough of              
Juneau (CBJ) and its people have tried to face up to this issue in             
the past; he doesn't think the people of Juneau should commit                  
themselves to a very large financial expenditure without a                     
commitment.  Drawing on his 25-year experience as a commercial real            
estate specialist in building development, he noted the statement,             
"If you don't have a deal you can't make a move," is fundamental               
logic.                                                                         
                                                                               
Number 0618                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG said he has not intended to bring any hardship or            
ill feelings to the community of Juneau with his position on this              
legislation.  He thinks Juneau is a wonderful and delightful                   
community, but he truly believes Alaska's Capitol needs to be                  
accessible to the people and also be a functional building the                 
people of the state can take pride in as representing their                    
government.  He said that currently expending any money on this                
project would not be wise, given the clear economic problems the               
state is presently facing.  On the other hand, he thinks it is not             
an issue that they can avoid for too much longer, given the Capitol            
Building's current condition.  He stated, "I think the sufferance              
of the particular peculiar building codes here and the ability to              
continue occupying is something that needs to be really finally                
recognized."  Chairman Rokeberg said the building's staff does an              
excellent job of doing what they can.  He indicated the financial              
ability to make capital appropriations to the Capitol Building                 
through legislative carry-forward funds and other means no longer              
exists, commenting that there have been substantial improvements to            
the structure.  He said this has been particularly in the areas of             
compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility            
requirements and other obvious needs.  However, he noted this only             
goes so far with a building which he believes was designed and                 
built in 1931 and he said is basically structurally obsolete.                  
Chairman Rokeberg stated the committee would take limited testimony            
and HB 304 would be held for further consideration.                            
                                                                               
Number 0785                                                                    
                                                                               
JEFF LOGAN, Legislative Assistant to Representative Joseph Green,              
came forward to testify.  He stated Representative Green, the co-              
prime sponsor of HB 304, was conducting a House Judiciary Standing             
Committee hearing on subsistence legislation and apologized for his            
absence which in no way indicated any waning of his support for HB
304.  Mr Logan said he would bring two issues to the committee's               
attention:  1) the Capitol Building's condition, 2) the Capitol                
Building's location.  Addressing the second point he referred to               
the previously mentioned map which had been distributed to the                 
committee.                                                                     
                                                                               
[The map Mr. Logan referred to showed the outline of the state of              
Alaska with approximately 43 communities labeled.  Anchorage was               
shown at the center of three concentric circles and Juneau at the              
center of two concentric circles.  The circle closest to the two               
cities was colored green and represented a straight-line distance              
of 100 miles out from the cities.  The second concentric circles               
around both cities was colored blue and represented a straight-line            
distance of 200 miles out from the cities.  The third concentric               
circle around Anchorage was colored red and represented a straight-            
line distance of 300 miles from Anchorage.  There was no third                 
concentric circle for Juneau.  The map legend indicated the first              
concentric circle around Juneau at 100 miles contains a population             
of 50,000; the second circle at 200 miles contains an additional               
24,000; for a total population of 74,000 within a 200-mile radius              
of Juneau.  The population within a 100-miles radius of Anchorage              
is 361,000, according to the map legend; the additional population             
at the 200-mile radius is 7,100; and the additional population at              
the 300-mile radius is 115,000; for a total population of 483,100              
within a 300-mile radius of Anchorage.]                                        
                                                                               
MR. LOGAN said there are 483,000 people 300 miles out of Anchorage             
and 74,000 people 300 miles out of Juneau, noting this graphically             
illustrates why the other prime sponsors believe the legislature               
should be located in Anchorage [Note: the map does not show a                  
population figure for a 300-mile distance from Juneau].                        
                                                                               
Number 0875                                                                    
                                                                               
MR. LOGAN referred to the condition of the Capitol Building and the            
chairman's previous remarks.  Mr. Logan said that for many years               
the Capitol Building has been maintained with the legislative                  
carry-forward; he said this was the portion of the budget unspent              
in the previous year which went into somewhat of a "slush" fund.               
He stated a few years ago the legislature had decided to do away               
with that account under Republican leadership and be on budget,                
noting the governor is still allowed to have such a fund but the               
legislature has taken its own away.  Mr. Logan said these types of             
expenditures for repairing and restoring the Capitol will now have             
to be stated on the capital budget, and will become much more                  
apparent as the need for these types expenditures escalates.  He               
commented that Chairman Rokeberg had stated some of the                        
alternatives, noting they look enthusiastically at the process the             
chairman has set out to examine what some of the other                         
municipalities might be able to provide in the way of a suitable               
Capitol.  In his final statement, Mr. Logan asked the committee to             
look around the room with the next bill to be heard.  He said it               
would be good illustration of how inadequate the building was to               
meet the legislature's current needs.  He stated there were going              
to be people in the room in wheelchairs and the only exit from this            
room, other than the crowded entryway, was up a set of stairs.  Mr.            
Logan said that is not right and it should be fixed, stating, "We              
hope to continue with this effort to the extent we can to make sure            
that everybody has equal access to the Capitol from other cities,              
and in and out of the Capitol while/if it remains here."                       
                                                                               
Number 0998                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated that they were currently in an illegal                
fire configuration because they were at the end of, basically, a               
20-foot dead-end corridor and, under the Uniform Building Code and             
"all the fire permutations thereto," the exit stairwell could not              
be exited through a meeting room.  Chairman Rokeberg indicated this            
particular code violation occurs throughout the Capitol Building,              
including the House and Senate chambers, and he noted this was just            
a "drop in the bucket" of all the other violations.                            
                                                                               
Number 1038                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE JERRY SANDERS said the testimony indicated HB 304               
would not be moving out of committee at this meeting, and he asked             
Mr. Logan if it was Representative Green's intention in sponsoring             
HB 304 that the bill would move or that it would just be used as a             
conversation piece and then dropped.                                           
                                                                               
Number 1058                                                                    
                                                                               
MR. LOGAN replied it was the sponsor's intent to move all                      
legislation he introduced.  Mr. Logan stated, "If, in the                      
chairman's wisdom, this piece of legislation needs more review by              
the Labor and Commerce Committee, we're willing to sit down and                
work on it and make it a better bill, and hopefully see it move at             
a later date intact."                                                          
                                                                               
Number 1082                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated the committee would take testimony from               
Mayor Eagan, asking all witnesses to limit their testimony to three            
minutes.                                                                       
                                                                               
Number 1110                                                                    
                                                                               
MAYOR DENNIS EAGAN, City and Borough of Juneau, came forward to                
testify.  He noted he appreciated the chairman's remarks and offer             
to (indisc.) legislative approval for construction of a new state              
Capitol building in Juneau.  Upon the chairman's lobbying and                  
working with the community, Mayor Eagan stated he would be more                
than happy to give Chairman Rokeberg the plans they tried put forth            
the last time and appreciated the chairman's efforts to assist                 
them.  Mayor Eagan said there had not been enough copies of the                
map, but to him it is a matter of semantics; he can draw the same              
thing on Washington, D.C.  Mayor Eagan said he had just returned               
from that city, noting it is a 4,000 mile journey to the nation's              
capital.  He spoke from a prepared statement:                                  
                                                                               
     On behalf ... of the assembly and the citizens of this                    
     community, I'd like to thank you for allowing me to                       
     testify this afternoon.  And I hope that you'll                           
     appreciate the advances that Alaska's capital city has                    
     made in providing opportunities to residents of Alaska.                   
                                                                               
     Since statehood in 1959, just 37 short years ago, we've                   
     been in the unique position of trying to focus not only                   
     on the critical elements of sustainability:  economic                     
     vitality, social equity and environmental health, but the                 
     single issue few other communities in the nation, or for                  
     that matter, the world face, and that's the issue of                      
     being the ultimate destruction of our city through the                    
     ballot process by way of a vote of the statewide                          
     electorate.                                                               
                                                                               
     Eight times since statehood, Juneau has faced economic                    
     and social upheavals that normal communities would not                    
     face.  With dedication and diligence, we have confronted                  
     this issue, with absolutely no idea what the outcome will                 
     be regarding our basic economic and social vitality.                      
                                                                               
     The issue here is moving the seat of state government to                  
     an area outside of Juneau to where some say is a location                 
     closer to the people.  While we have ultimately won all                   
     those battles, the most recent in 1994, these votes take                  
     a tremendous toll on the citizens of our community who                    
     have lived here for any length of time.  I was born here.                 
     When we should be attending to making Juneau a model for                  
     sustainable development, we have had to spend untold                      
     resources on fighting efforts to change the seat of                       
     government in the state of Alaska.  In just the past two                  
     elections, 1982 and 1994, and associated ballot                           
     initiatives since statehood, it has cost this city of                     
     32,000 residents over $7 million in taxpayer and                          
     community-donated funds to fight these battles.  So when                  
     folks in the rest of the United States talk about                         
     sustainability, we call it survivability.                                 
                                                                               
     To sustain Juneau as the capital of Alaska, we're                         
     accomplishing many things to make our city more                           
     accessible to the rest of Alaska and the world.  You see,                 
     I believe access comes in many other ways than an                         
     interstate highway.  We were one of the first communities                 
     on the west coast of the United States to recognize the                   
     importance of the Internet.  We established a home page                   
     on the World Wide Web, affording access not only to                       
     Alaskans to their capital city, but to anyone in the                      
     world that has an inquiry about Juneau.                                   
                                                                               
     We've been instrumental in providing electronic access                    
     through video teleconferencing through a major investment                 
     in telecommunications technology.  Juneau is the major                    
     investor in C-Span type programming called Gavel-to-Gavel                 
     coverage, that allows over 450,000 Alaskans, that's about                 
     85 percent of the adult population, to view uninterrupted                 
     coverage of the daily deliberations of the Alaska State                   
     Legislature during its 120-day sessions.                                  
                                                                               
     The CBJ, Federal Aviation Administration, the National                    
     Center for Atmospheric Research and Alaska Airlines are                   
     in the final stages of a multi-million dollar research                    
     project that is going to ultimately change the way                        
     airline travel is accomplished throughout the world, and                  
     Juneau is at the forefront of development and                             
     implementation of that technology in which aircraft will                  
     not travel routes as you know them, but on courses                        
     dictate by global positioning satellites.                                 
                                                                               
     We're doing many other things to make Juneau a better                     
     capital, from increasing affordable housing, increasing                   
     our housing vacancy rate, getting a handle on managing                    
     our burgeoning tourism industry, working with mining                      
     concerns to bring about projects on line, and initiating                  
     plans for a vision for our capital city.                                  
                                                                               
     While these are just a few of the major projects that                     
     we're undertaking, and issues we're confronting, I                        
     believe we're making great strides in making Juneau a                     
     better capital city for all Alaskans.                                     
                                                                               
     We're proud of the men and women in the legislature and                   
     staff who work tirelessly to make our state a model for                   
     the rest of the nation.  ... Thank you for your hard                      
     work.  Pro or con, the citizens of this community                         
     appreciate your efforts.  Again, thank you Mr. Chair and                  
     members of the committee for this opportunity to testify.                 
                                                                               
Number 1411                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG thanked the mayor, noting this hearing had been              
scheduled so the mayor would be able to attend.                                
                                                                               
Number 1433                                                                    
                                                                               
ERROL CHAMPION, Capital City Republicans, came forward to testify              
next.  He spoke from a prepared statement:                                     
                                                                               
     I have been in Alaska for over 35 years and I've lived in                 
     Juneau for the past 21.  As I was thinking about what                     
     points to cover this afternoon, I found it very difficult                 
     to write down anything that hasn't already been stated                    
     over and over during the last 40 years of debate on this                  
     issue.  I recall the argument in 1961 while I was living                  
     with my aunt and uncle in Anchorage.  Even though this                    
     was shortly after statehood, the discussion of where to                   
     locate the capital was an issue for a few, and,                           
     unfortunately, it's still with a few of us today.  The                    
     lack of support for a capital move in those days was                      
     based on the fact we had to be frugal.  Alaska had                        
     limited funds as Prudhoe Bay had yet to be discovered.                    
     Elected leaders had to make very prudent decisions on                     
     where to spend those limited funds to do the most good                    
     for Alaska.  The issue of moving the capital was not high                 
     on the priority list then, and after 37 years which has                   
     seen numerous statewide votes, initiatives and the                        
     expenditure of millions on studies, moving the                            
     legislature and the capital is not a topic with the                       
     majority of Alaskans.  It continues to remain at the                      
     bottom of the list on priority of needs.                                  
                                                                               
     I'm co-chair of the Capital City Republicans which also                   
     includes a position on the state central committee of the                 
     Republican Party.  In all of my work with statewide party                 
     leaders, the topic of moving the legislature and                          
     ultimately the capital is not in our platform.  In fact,                  
     it's never even been on the agenda for discussion.  We                    
     Republicans are focused on shrinking the size of state                    
     government, doing more with less, and returning the                       
     delivery system of public services back to the local                      
     communities.  Our party is committed to electing Alaskans                 
     who share and support this philosophy.  The location of                   
     where "downsizing" state government takes place is not an                 
     issue for the RPA [Republican Party of Alaska].                           
                                                                               
     I ask that you think very carefully about what are the                    
     real preferences of Alaskans.  I believe it's our public                  
     education system, crime, making needed repairs to our                     
     transportation systems, fixing up our public facilities                   
     and, most of all, creating a healthy economic climate                     
     that will stimulate the growth of private enterprise to                   
     provide jobs and opportunities for generations to come.                   
     After all these years, isn't it time to get on with                       
     solving the real priority issues for Alaskans?  The                       
     philosophy of the Republican Party must remain the focus                  
     of our collective efforts while we have the opportunity                   
     to make things happen.  Let's not spend any more time on                  
     issues such as moving the legislature which is tantamount                 
     to a capital move.  And I thank this committee and you,                   
     Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to testify.                                 
                                                                               
Number 1579                                                                    
                                                                               
DON ABEL came forward to testify next.  He stated he was a lifelong            
Alaskan, had been in Juneau for 61 years, and was a candidate for              
the state Senate seat from that area.  Mr. Abel testified regarding            
the effects on the private sector, stating, "Just to give you an               
idea of what it's like to be in the private sector and have this               
kind of hammer hanging over our head. ... It's a ripple effect."               
He said, "I'm in the building supply business, we have been since              
1936 here.  And when ... these come forward like this what happens             
is, we see the long-term projects start to come off the table.                 
Who's gonna still go into a 10 or a 20-year financing program to               
put up apartments or condos or whatever they're gonna build ...                
when they don't know if the job base is gonna be around."  He said             
this has happened over and over again, and some of the problems the            
legislature has experienced in trying to find decent or affordable             
housing in Juneau has been exacerbated by this over the years.  He             
commented, "We saw it again this year, we're seeing it now.  And               
... it's very prevalent.  We eventually overcome it, things settle             
down, we gain a little bit, then somebody wants an issue and back              
it comes again.  And so it's a ripple effect throughout the whole -            
whole economy here, and I think it's very serious for us."  Mr.                
Abel related that he had recently spoken with a former Anchorage               
legislator, stating, "And I did not ask ... whether he would give              
his permission to give his name, but I think he would if I asked               
him, but he says, 'Don, this is ... very wrong.  I served down                 
there for many sessions.  The idea is to go down, to go to Juneau,             
get the work done, focus on it.  ... That's what you do, get ...               
the state's business done and then go home.  ... The idea of                   
bringing it into the Anchorage arena, ... gosh knows what you're               
gonna wind up with and how long it'll take to get it done, whether             
they'll even show up most of the time.  ... It'll won't be the same            
way at all, ... your sessions could run extremely long and be very             
unproductive. ... I think it's a very, very bad idea.'"  Mr. Abel              
indicated that completed his testimony.                                        
                                                                               
Number 1699                                                                    
                                                                               
RICK URION came forward to testify next.  He indicated he was a                
former member of the Alaska State Legislature House of                         
Representatives and said he was testifying on his own behalf.  He              
stated, "In 1972 I was elected to this body from Anchorage.  In                
1972 the capital move was a big issue.  We had a newspaper in town             
that every other day was an article about the capital move, and all            
of us supported the capital move.  When I first came here I                    
supported the capital move because I thought that was the right                
thing to do.  ... I don't remember the time frame, but it wasn't               
very long when I was here that I realized what a terrible issue                
this was, and ... the issue wasn't what ... it looked like.  It was            
a real estate transaction, it had nothing to do with government.               
It was an issue of greed and selfishness.  It makes no difference              
where the capital is.  Would the Dallas Cowboys have won the Super             
Bowl in January ... if they were based in Denver?  The answer is               
no.  It's not ... where you base the team, it's the members of the             
team.  And you have a good team, and you can perform here in Juneau            
as well or if not better than anywhere else.  I think it's long                
past time that this issue needs to be put to rest.  If this                    
building is bad, fix it.  I'll dare say that this building's gonna             
be in service long after everybody in this room is dead.  If you               
want a new building, appropriate some money and build it, but don't            
blame it on Juneau, don't blame it on the location.  The                       
communication system, everything, is much better than it was.                  
(Indisc.) the last 25 years have made tremendous improvements in               
communications.  Here is an issue that's the heart and blood of                
this community, right in this community.  Is the room full of                  
Juneauites?  Are they packing the halls?  No, they're not.  Would              
they in Anchorage?  ... People (indisc.) want access to government             
but they really elect you to do the job, and they really don't want            
to worry about government.  And they're not worried government,                
they put it in your hands.  Let's put this issue of the capital                
move to rest.  Fix the building if you need to fix it, or build the            
building, but don't move the legislature or the capital from                   
Juneau.  That's stupid.  That's all I have to say."                            
                                                                               
Number 1804                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked if there was anyone else who wished to                 
testify on HB 304.  Hearing none, he stated the public testimony               
was closed.                                                                    
                                                                               
Number 1816                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BILL HUDSON thanked the chairman for hearing this               
bill and indicated he wished to testify himself on HB 304, having              
talked with Chairman Rokeberg and the other prime sponsor.                     
Representative Hudson stated he thought he understood some of the              
concerns expressed, noting he recognized the difficult exit                    
situation from the committee chambers.  He said he thinks it is a              
reasonable thing to examine how they might be able to improve the              
current space or move into another space.  He said he has suggested            
taking a hard look at even moving the legislature over to one of               
the top floors of the State Office Building and perhaps housing                
some of the state employees somewhere else on a regular basis.                 
However, Representative Hudson said, "Those are the kind of things             
that we can look at if we have the cooperation of people like                  
yourself from outside of the town here," and he indicated Juneau               
could not build a new Capitol building unless there was some sort              
of an agreement with the legislature to lease the building back                
over a period of time to amortize it.  Representative Hudson noted             
the chairman's real estate background.  He said he looked forward              
to working with the chairman, hopefully on an interim committee                
basis to examine this situation.  Representative Hudson stated,                
"We're looking at a road, Mr. Chairman, trying to improve the                  
access ... from the rest of the state of Alaska into the capital.              
We're also, I think, the possibility of looking at reduced                     
legislative sessions.  ... We're up to 120 days every session that             
we're down here, and that's exactly what we do.  We might want to              
take a look at [the] possibility ... of developing a reduced                   
legislative session period of time, perhaps a 90 to 120, or 90 to              
100 days."                                                                     
                                                                               
Number 1897                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE HUDSON continued, "The two-year capital budget                  
process would reduce, I think, the second year of the legislative              
session as well.  So, I think that ... there's ways to do that.  I             
notice in one state, they've actually moved to amend their                     
constitution to allow their members, under certain circumstances               
literally to vote from home.  And here we are, in the state of                 
Alaska, where nobody is connected by roads except literally from               
that distance around the Anchorage area ....  All the rest of us               
are somewhere up in the villages or down in Southeast Alaska or                
somewhere else out on an island somewhere ...."  Representative                
Hudson indicated they might want to take a look at the possibility             
of establishing some parameters within Alaska's rules and, if                  
necessary, in Alaska's constitution allowing members of the                    
legislature to literally be able to vote on floor sessions from the            
nearest Legislative Information Office (LIO) or from home, giving              
emergency medical, transportation, and inability to get in as                  
possible reasons.  Representative Hudson stated, "Those are, in my             
opinion, some constructive ways in which we could expand our                   
opportunity to interact with the legislature, ... and at the same              
time, to expand the amount of time that we're closer to the                    
constituents that we serve.  We already have eight months out of               
the year where we are directly related to our constituency and                 
these may be some suggestions on how we could expand that                      
opportunity.  ... I just wanted to put that on the record, Mr.                 
Chairman, I think those are constructive comments that I'm looking             
forward to working with you on ...."                                           
                                                                               
Number 1970                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG asked if there were any further comments from the            
committee.  There being none, Chairman Rokeberg said he would                  
respond to Representative Hudson by noting that HCR 9, legislation             
the chairman had introduced the previous year, would allow                     
committee interim activity; but also on Representative Hudson's                
point, most importantly, it would allow a teleconference or                    
electronic vote from a committee member not physically present.                
Chairman Rokeberg said while committee members can participate in              
discussion via teleconference, they are not allowed to formally                
vote unless physically present, under rules of this body.  He noted            
that perhaps Mayor Eagan could get behind a resolution supporting              
the chairman's resolution which he said was presently in the House             
Finance Standing Committee and which he would like to move this                
year.  Also, Chairman Rokeberg pointed out that both he and                    
Representative Sanders are prime sponsors of a bill shortening the             
legislative session to 90 days.  He indicated that bill was also               
concerned with term limits and other legislative reform.                       
                                                                               
Number 2038                                                                    
                                                                               
CHAIRMAN ROKEBERG stated the committee would suspend the                       
proceedings on HB 304.  He said it was his desire to further                   
investigate the condition of the current Capitol Building and look             
at potential drafting of alternate methodologies for developing a              
plan for a new Capitol building, wherever it may be.  Chairman                 
Rokeberg said because of that, and the information he has received             
from Mr. Logan, the chairman will be sending HB 304 to a                       
subcommittee as he said he has indicated.  He stated he wishes the             
subcommittee to take up the bill this session to review the                    
information the bill sponsors will be providing and to invite the              
mayor and "the folks here from Juneau" to participate.  Chairman               
Rokeberg said he would particularly like to look at the plans                  
developed previously for Telegraph Hill [in downtown Juneau near               
the State Office Building].  The chairman stated, "We can do that              
quietly and amiably, and without ruffling too many feathers, but               
maybe we can get some work done for the good of the people of the              
state."  With that, he assigned HB 304 to a subcommittee chaired by            
Representative Hudson, with Representative Rokeberg and                        
Representative Kubina as the other subcommittee members.  The                  
legislation was held.                                                          

Document Name Date/Time Subjects